During the 2014 election cycle a coalition of deep-pocketed conservation/environmental interests put a measure on the ballot to divert a windfall of oil tax revenues into a slush fund that would then make grants to the aforementioned interests. We were told, in a slick and well-financed campaign run by groups like Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants…

About a week ago I wrote about an on-going controversy over three Ducks Unlimited employees who work for the federal government’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Many people – including this observer – see that as inappropriate given that Ducks Unlimited is an organization with a very real political agenda (they spent millions trying to pass Measure…

The backlash from the epic flop that was Measure 5 on the 2014 ballot continues. Ducks Unlimited, ostensibly a pro-hunting nonprofit that is masquerading has a left-wing environmental activism group, was the primary mover-and-shaker behind a constitutional measure on the ballot last year which would have created a massive oil-funded slush fund for conservation groups. It…

For the past couple of years conservation activists pushing to create a tax dollar slush fund for themselves have had Republican lawmakers trying to stay ahead of them with knee-jerk policy making. During the 2013 session, after conservation activists failed to get a constitutional amendment on the state ballot due to petition fraud, lawmakers created…

One of the most bruising debates during last year’s election season was the debate over Measure 5. It was put on the ballot by a coalition of deep-pocketed conservation activist groups, led by Ducks Unlimited, and would have created an enormous constitutional slush fund from state oil tax revenue streams from which the aforementioned conservation…

Ducks Unlimited was the most visible group behind Measure 5 on the November ballot last year. That measure, if it had passed, would have created a slush fund for conservation interests like Ducks Unlimited. The group spent millions pushing first a petition drive, which garnered about 40,000 signatures to put the constitutional amendment on the…

Conservation groups are griping about the position they find themselves in. They think more dollars need to be dedicated to conservation, but they feel like they don’t have those dollars. Nor much support among North Dakotans. “We haven’t done a very good job of mobilizing our sportsmen and women,”Eric Lundstrom, of Ducks Unlimited of Bismarck,…

Bills are still being filed down at the legislature in Bismarck. I’ve been trying to highlight some of the legislation that has jumped out at me as interesting here on SAB. Here’s the latest list: SCR4009 – Study membership makeup of the North Dakota Industrial Commission This resolution, introduced by Senator Bill Bowman (R-Bowman), would…

It’s the end of another year and this one went by all too quickly. That is all too often the case when it comes to good years, and 2014 was a very good year for SAB. In addition to having the best year ever in terms of visitors and engagement (despite largely eschewing traffic-driving national…

This election year North Dakota had a titanic debate over a constitutional amendment – Measure 5, specifically – which would have diverted hundreds of millions of tax dollars into a slush fund for conservation interests. Deep-pocketed advocacy groups like Ducks Unlimited spent millions promoting their measure, but were soundly defeated after a ham-handed campaign netted…